The new Platinum Annual Pass costs $589 — more than half the cost of Disneyland's $1,049 two-park Signature Plus annual pass. (That's the only AP at Disneyland that also provides admission every day of the year.) Universal's new pass also includes one admission to Halloween Horror Nights, as well as priority boarding on the Studio Tour and a 15% discount on food and merchandise. Disneyland's pass includes 15% off food and 20% off merchandise and free PhotoPass downloads, but no FastPasses or special event admissions. Universal's pass includes free parking before 5pm (it's $10 after), while Disneyland's includes free parking at any time. But the biggest difference might be... there doesn't appear to be a monthly payment plan option for Universal's passes, as there is for those at Disneyland.
The new Universal Studios Hollywood Platinum pass is comparable to USH's old Premium Star Pass, which also provided 365 days of admission and free parking before 5pm — for $179. But that was before Universal added The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and completed its current transformation of the Upper Lot.
If you are curious about how the price of annual passes at USH and Disneyland compare with their siblings in Orlando, well, here's the TL;DR — they cost a lot more and cover half the number of parks. But that's the result of having nearly nine times as many people living in Southern California than in the Orlando metro area. More locals = more demand for APs = higher prices.
In other news at Universal, signs have appeared on the old Jillian's bowling alley, advertising that location will become a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. That's a popular restaurant at Universal Orlando's CityWalk and should help draw more crowds to the eastern end of Hollywood's CityWalk, which also should be helped by increased use of the nearby new E.T. parking garage.
Inside the park, the expanded Studio store and new Starbucks location are open on Universal Boulevard, Mel's Drive-In has reopened after a long refurbishment just up the street from that, and the grab-and-go Studio Cafe has replaced the Universal Experience on the Lower Lot.
Cold and hot selections at the new grab-n-go Studio Cafe on the Lower Lot @UniStudios Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/SvjjRHtEhJ
— Theme Park Insider (@ThemePark) March 14, 2016
Finally, Universal is completing its new entry plaza, which now features a semi-circle of covered metal detectors establishing a security perimeter around the iconic Universal globe. The park also has added dozens of self-service ticketing kiosks on the entry plaza, for visitors who don't need personal assistance and who didn't do the smart thing and buy their tickets in advance, and usually for a discount, online.
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Maybe it's a timeshare-style sales pitch for this Platinum Pass. I ain't gonna get it - the low-level AP satisfies all my USH needs for the year. I'll just nod, listen to their pitch, take my free golf clubs, and go ride Forbidden Journey another 11 times.
If they do indeed bring up the Platinum Pass, I'll come back here to kvetch about it.
The other question is value: Is it worth spending $589 to buy a Platinum Pass to USH? That depends 100% on the individual and is not a yes or no question. The next level pass (Gold) has 52 blackout dates, does not include parking, and does not include a Halloween Horror Nights Ticket. All the other benefits are the same. Therefore, assuming my rough math is correct, you need to visit USH on at least three of the blackout dates (or two with a Halloween Horror Nights visit), or visit at least 15 times in a year (or 12 plus Halloween Horror Nights) to justify the Platinum Pass. If you will not be doing the above, there is no need to purchase the Platinum Pass and you are free to pretend it doesn't exist.
With the rise of multi-tiered annual passes and the current prices theme parks charge, it has become necessary to analyze your needs before buying. Far too many people look only at the highest tier option instead of what they actually should be looking at.
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